Stretcher.



PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907.

N. D. BAKER STRETGHER.

APPLIUATION FILED OCT. 1. 1906. RENEWED JULY 24, 1907.

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PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907;

N. D. BAKER.

STRBTCHER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1. 1906. RENEWED JULY 24,1967.

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NATHAN D. BAKER, OF THAOKERY, OHIO.

STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1907.

Application filed Oc er 1, 1906, Serial No. 336,919. Renewed July 24;, 1907. Serial No. 385,313.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHAN D. BAKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Thackery, in the county of Champaign, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stretchers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to stretchers and has for its object to provide a device of this kind which may be used in stretching wires, clothes lines, etc., and which will embody a novel arrangement of parts including ratchet and dog mechanism and simple means for holding the dogs at times out of operative position.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, and it is to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the present stretcher showing it used in connection with a clothes line. Fig. 2 is a top plan view. Fig. 3 is a view showing one side of the casing removed, with the interior parts in elevation, the dogs being in engagement with the ratchets. Fig. 4 is a detail section through one of the dogs, its shaft and the retaining rod, the dogs being shown in engagement with the rod. Fig. 5 is view showing the front of the casing removed, with the interior parts in front elevation.

Referring now to the drawings, the present invention comprises a casing 6, which in Fig. 1 is shown mounted upon a post 7. A shaft 8 is mounted transversely in the casing, and has fixed thereupon within the casing a drum 9 having ratchets 10 at its ends, the shaft extending outwardly of the casing at one end and carrying at its outer end an operating crank 11.

The front wall 12 of the casing is somewhat lower than the remaining walls, and a transverse rod 13 is mounted at its ends in the sides of the casing adjacent to the forward end thereof, and has journaled thereupon a roller 14 lying with its upper portion above the upper edge of the forward wall.

A shaft 15 is mounted at its ends in the sides of the casing, extending transversely thereof, rearwardly of the roller 14 and forwardly of the drum 9, and this shaft is reduced at its end portions inwardly of the walls of the casing, and has mounted upon these reduced portions, a pair of dogs 16, for vertical pivotal movement into and out of engagement with the ratchets 10, the dogs resting normally upon these ratchets, to prevent rotation of the drum in one direction, as will be readily understood. The dogs are also mounted upon the shafts loosely, for slight lateral movement with respect thereto, and the dogs have formed in their upper edges notches 17 having lips 18 at one edge, these notches ex tending transversely of the dogs.

A latch rod 19 extends transversely of the casing, just forwardly of the dogs 17, having its ends engaged in the walls of the casing, and lies in co-relation to the notches of the dogs, so that when the dogs are raised and moved forwardly beyond their pivotal centers, they will be positioned to lie with the latch rod in their notches,

and the dogs may be raised with respect to the shaft 15' to engage their lips 18 over the latch rod, and thus hold the dogs in raised position, the loose mounting of the dogs upon the shaft permitting of this movement.

As will be readily understood, the dogs normally extend downwardly and rearWardly into engagement with the ratchets and are raised into inoperative position only when it is desired to unwind the line 21 from the drum.

Although the stretcher is shown in the drawings as employed in connection with a clothes line, it may be used to stretch wires, and for similar purposes.

What is claimed is:

1. In a stretcher, the combination with a revoluble drum. of a ratchet carried by the drum, a dog pivoted for movement into and out of engagement with the ratchet, and a rod located adjacent to the dog, said dog having portions adapted for engagement with the rod when the dog is out of operative position to hold the dog against pivotal movement, said dog being movable bodily to bring said portions into and out of engagement With the rod.

2. A stretcher comprising a casing, a drum in the easing, means for revolving the drum, a ratchet carried by the drum, a shaft mounted in the casing, 21 dog pivoted upon the shaft for movement into and out of engagement with the ratchet, a rod engaged in the casing, and a lip carried by the dog and arranged for engagement with the rod when the dog is out of engagement with the ratchet to prevent return movement of the dog, said dog being; movable bodily upon the shaft to bring its lip into and out of engagement with the rod.

3. A stretcher comprising a casing, a drum journaled in the casing, ratchets carried by the ends of the drum, a shaft engaged at its ends in the sides of the casing and having reduced end portions inwardly of the sides, dogs mounted upon said end portions of the shaft for pivotal movement into and out of engagement With the ratchets, a transverse rod mounted in the clsing and arranged to receive the dog's tnereagainst when the dogs are out of engagement with the ratchets, said dogs having lips arranged for engagement with the rod to hold the dogs against movement pivotally, said dogs being movable bodily upon the shaft to bring said lips into and out of such engagement with the rod.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

NATHAN D. BAKER.

Witnesses BERT InocTEn, .I. W. HnLvIE. 

